Everything Comes Back To You
by jolipoison
Summary: She had never dreamed her life would end up this way.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

* * *

Jean Finch leaned against the doorway of her new home, absentmindedly pulling off her little white gloves as she took in the interior. Atticus hadn't been fooling around when he told her not to expect much. He had said the house was newly bought and that he hadn't acquired a single piece of furniture, apart from a double bed borrowed from a neighbour's spare bedroom, wanting her to have a blank canvas to make the place her own. Jean loved him for it, but she was now realising what a massive undertaking that would be, and one she would no doubt have to do alone.

It wasn't as though she could call her mother and ask for help. She was nearly certain Maisie Graham would decline the call once she heard Maycomb and her daughter was on the other line. Her mother had made it very clear what she thought of her daughter, and Jean knew the quicker she accepted that now she only had Atticus the happier she would be. She would be nothing more than a phantom to her family. A name that would never be discussed, a photo that would be expertly hidden. She no longer existed to them now.

Asking the neighbours for help was something she already knew was out of the question. She had only just arrived in Maycomb, but she felt as though the town had been gossiping about her for months. She had seen them peeking out from behind net curtains, judging her before they even knew her name. Of course, she wasn't showing just yet, and she knew Atticus hadn't told a soul, but she couldn't shake the feeling that they _knew._ They knew everything.

Behind her she heard the car door slam shut, signaling that her husband was approaching with the last of their bags. She had left Montgomery with little more than the clothes on her back, but she had accumulated quite the wardrobe during their honeymoon in Boston, something Atticus had insisted on. She knew he still blamed himself. He blamed himself for getting involved and taking her away from her family, but Jean was thankful. If it wasn't for him, God only knew where she'd be. In hospital most likely.

"That's everything." Atticus said, walking past to deposit two more bags in the room she assumed was their bedroom.

"I think it's time for bed for you, old man," Jean replied teasingly, following him into the room. "That's all the exercise you're capable of for today. You've tired yourself out." She said, smirking and wrapping her arms around him.

"I'll go if you come with me." Atticus said, pulling her a little closer.

She knew he was only teasing, but she couldn't prevent the frown that formed. Wasn't that the reason things had turned out this way? She hadn't told him what had happened the first time, how could she, but her mother had found out. After that the dominos just kept on falling.

"In the middle of the day? And give the neighbours something else to gossip about?" Jean responded, pulling away from him and dropping her gloves on the bed. She hated how accusatory her voice sounded, and if Atticus had been stung by it he certainly didn't show.

"Sweet, what are you talking about? We've only just arrived."

"They know, Atticus, I know they do. Someone's told them. They know I'm pregnant, they know – "

Atticus interrupted her. "They know nothin'." He had slipped into his courtroom voice. "What happened with…what happened in Montgomery is in the past, Jean. This is your fresh start. You, me, and the baby." He had come towards her and rested his hand on her stomach. "It's all in the past."

Jean wondered how long it would stay there.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 1_

 _Introductions_

* * *

"Excuse me? Nurse? Sorry to bother you, but could you take a look at my friend? I think I might have really hurt him."

On the days when working on the wards of St Margaret's became so horribly monotonous, there were no words Jean wanted to hear more than "I think I might have really hurt him." She had sympathy for the injured party, of course, but she couldn't help feeling a little thrilled. Maybe she'd actually be able to work with something interesting!

Jean had been drawn to nursing through reading about the work the Red Cross were doing in the war, thinking that maybe she'd end up being sent to Germany or Crete or France to actually do some good in the world. However, four years after deciding to pursue nursing, she remained in Montgomery. Her days consisted of emptying bedpans, bathing patients, and dressing and redressing sometimes infected wounds. There was nothing remotely exciting about her days.

So, when Matron had to step out for a while and she was manning the ward mostly alone, she couldn't help it if her eyes lit up a little when the young man approached the nurses station. Maybe she was finally going to have her moment.

"Don't you know you're never supposed to bother a nurse? You have to at least _try_ and fix a broken leg yourself before coming to us. We're really just a last resort." Jean couldn't help but tease the man standing in front of her, though she nearly knocked her chair over in her haste to get going. "Could you tell me what's happened?" She asked, reaching for a clipboard and pen, and hoping it maybe involved a gun.

"Well, I was messing around in his office a little and he just came in at the wrong moment and I think...erm...I think I broke his nose." The man said sheepishly, and Jean nearly stopped dead in her tracks. "I know it's not somethin' you go to hospital with," he started speaking faster, "but there was a lot of blood and he was having some trouble breathing, so I thought I might have really damaged something. I sure hope I'm not wasting your time, nurse." He said it so genuinely and sounded so worried that Jean felt her frustration lift just a little.

"Of course you're not. Better safe than sorry." She forced a smile at him. "What's your friend's name?"

"Mr Finch. Atticus Finch, sorry," he quickly corrected himself. "And I'm Frankie. Frankie Bellamy."

Jean gave him a small nod and scribbled on her clipboard. So help her if all she got today was a broken nose. Would it really kill someone in Montgomery to drop an axe on themselves or something?

She had walked with Frankie to a bed at the furthest end of the ward where Atticus Finch sat with a bloody handkerchief clamped to his face, specks of blood dripping onto his vest, and an expression that told her he'd rather be anywhere else. She also noticed how, despite the height difference between them, Frankie attempted to hide himself behind her, almost as if he expected Atticus Finch to lunge for him.

"Nice to meet you, Mr Finch Atticus Finch. My name's Jean," Jean greeted him cheerfully. "I hear you've had a bit of an accident involving an errant fist?"

"It's nothin'." Atticus protested, though the handkerchief remained clamped tightly to his face. "A broken nose. I could have fixed it myself."

 _He was going to be one of those patients_ , Jean thought to herself.

"We really do prefer if you don't do that. It leaves less work for us in the long run when you hurt yourself more," she teased him. "Why don't you let me have a look at you?"

When she placed her hand on his arm, he flinched a little, making her think he wasn't used to having people touch him. With a slight sigh he moved his hand down, allowing Jean to see the blood and just how his nose was bent out of shape. There was also some bruising starting to show itself. If she had to guess, she'd say he was in quite a bit of pain.

"That's quite a break you got, Mr Finch." Jean said, leaning in closer to get a better look and seeing how it had already started to swell. "What I'm going to do is press down on the sides a little, and I want you to rate the pain on a scale of 1-10," she explained. As gently as she could, she started to examine him, quickly stopping at his sharp intake of breath.

"Five," he said when she looked at him.

"Okay, good. I'm going to need to get you some ice." She said, looking around the ward. "Mr Bellamy?" She turned to the younger man behind her. "Could you be a dear and get me some ice? Just go down a level and ask the girls there. We're all out up here."

Frankie practically lit up at being put to some use. "Of course! That's not a problem!" He said, nearly tripping over himself in his haste to get out of the room.

Jean couldn't help but laugh at how he sped through the doors. "Anyone would think he was eager to get away from you. Do you beat him?" She said teasingly to Atticus.

"He blames himself, but it was an accident." Atticus replied, watching as she began filling up a basin of water.

"Do you mind telling what actually _did_ happen? Broken noses don't usually happen by accident," she remarked.

Atticus gave a small laugh behind her. "A matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was tryin' to impress my secretary," he told her.

"And why is it that there's always a woman involved when they do?" Jean teased with a smile. She set the basin carefully on the nightstand beside the bed and began to clean him up. "Speaking of which, I wouldn't like to be you when your wife sees the blood on your vest. Bloodstains can be a real pain to get out."

Atticus shifted a little. "I'm not married," he said simply.

"Except to the job." Jean couldn't help but add, giving him a smile.

He gave her no reply, so she continued cleaning the blood off him in silence. She noticed how he appeared to be having a little trouble breathing, and made a mental note to add it to his chart. It was definitely something the doctor would want to look at. Occasionally he would flinch a little when the cold cloth touched him, but other than that he was the best behaved patient she ever had. Just difficult to make conversation with.

"So what exactly is it you do that's stopping some woman makin' a decent man of you?" Jean asked as the silence wore on. In all her time being a nurse, she had never had a patient be so quiet.

"I'm a lawyer," he answered. "And I represent Maycomb County on the Legislature."

"Really?" Jean cocked an eyebrow. "So, if I tell you that the hospital is seriously understaffed and low on resources, you can work your magic and make things happen?"

"No. The hospital chief would have to discuss that with the relevant people," he said without missing a beat, never realising that she'd only been teasing him.

She wasn't sure what to _do_ with him. Most patients she could banter with, but he was a closed book and she wasn't sure how to handle it. She'd decided against asking too many questions seeing as his replies were mostly monosyllabic. She had to wonder if he was always like this, or was it simply because he was concentrating on ignoring the pain? Whatever the answer was, she couldn't help but think that whatever woman he ended up with would need to be one hell of a conversationalist.

Thankfully, she was spared any further agony by Frankie returning with the ice she needed.

"You were an awful long time, Mr Bellamy. Don't tell me you were flirting with those poor girls downstairs? They'll never be able to focus on their rounds now," she couldn't help but tease him, fighting back a laugh as his cheeks went bright red.

She winked at Atticus as she turned back round. "Alright then, Mr Finch, I've cleaned you up as best I can." She said, all the while placing the cloth full of ice on his nose. "There aren't any other broken bones from what I can see, so you'll need to keep applying ice regularly for the swelling to go down. You'll need to come back in three days to get a splint and you'll be good as new." She explained to him with a bright smile.

For a moment she thought he was going to argue with her, but he only nodded in acceptance, thanked her for her help, and stuffed his bloodied handkerchief in his pocket.

"I'll see you in three days then, nurse." He said before walking out the door.


End file.
